I run Railston & Co, and some version of “how do I break into wind blade service, or move up within it” lands in my DMs most weeks. Enough people ask that it’s worth writing down properly instead of repeating myself. This is Part 1: building your network and getting in front of the right people directly.
A bit of context on why I’m the one writing this. Railston & Co builds Collabaro, a SaaS platform that a lot of blade service contractors run their operations on, inspection and repair workflows, project management, timesheets, reporting, the full campaign from tender to invoice. We’ve been building software for this industry for over a decade, going back to a field service platform we built for GEV Windpower before Collabaro existed as its own product. We’re not a recruiter, and we don’t place technicians. But sitting this close to the operational side of the industry for this long means we’re in constant contact with the companies doing the hiring, and we see, close up, what makes someone easy to bring onto a crew and what doesn’t.
Follow the companies that actually do the work
Start with a short list, not every renewables company, the ones doing blade inspection and repair specifically: OEM service divisions, independent blade service contractors, rope access and drone inspection firms. Follow them on LinkedIn, turn notifications on, and actually engage, comment, share, ask a genuine question in the replies. A recruiter checking your profile before a call will see that history. It’s a small thing, but it’s the difference between a cold name and someone who’s clearly been paying attention.
Don’t stop at LinkedIn. A lot of blade tech and rope access recruitment still happens in Facebook groups built specifically for the trade, and increasingly on WhatsApp and Telegram groups run by technicians themselves. Jobs often move through those hours before they hit a job board.
Go straight to the people hiring
Once you know who you want to work for, don’t just wait for a posting. Find the HR or recruitment contact and reach out directly, briefly, and specifically, say what role you’re after and why. It won’t work every time, but it puts you ahead of everyone who only applied once a vacancy went live.
When you do, have your CV genuinely ready for this industry, not just up to date:
- GWO Basic Safety Training, and BTT if you have it
- IRATA or SPRAT rope access level, with your logbook current
- A valid medical certificate
- Right to work and travel internationally, and enough passport validity left for mobilisation
- Any languages beyond English
Most applications don’t stall because of a lack of experience. They stall because one of these is missing, or buried at the bottom of a CV instead of up front where a recruiter will actually see it.
Part 2 covers specialist recruiters, the professional groups worth actually joining, and where to spend your time if you’re building skills rather than experience yet.
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